What Is Sermon Prep, Really?

Training In Paragraphs (TIPs) 72

What is sermon prep?

Fifteen years in I’m still figuring that out, but the more I do it, the less I think it involves sitting at a desk.

I don’t imagine I’ll ever abandon the hours with an open Bible, observing and wrestling with the text. Without those, I could only speak for myself, and not for God. But after the hours of study comes the work of discerning what God wants to say to these people from this text, the task of working in stories, illustrations, and explanations. It’s in this work of sermon formation that the desk becomes less helpful. At that point, I’d rather look at a flower than a screen. I’d rather take a walk and pray. And not just because it fits my contemplative nature, but because it’s more helpful.

It’s in these spaces—walking the neighborhood, riding my bike into work, lying in bed—that God gives me some of the clearest insights and most helpful ideas. I’ve realized this isn’t just about getting away from a desk, it’s about being with the Father. When I’m away from the office, I tend to go to deeper places with the Lord. I think deeply in uninterrupted fresh air and clear sky. I’ve always wanted my prep to be full of study, but I’m learning what’s more impactful is whether I am full of the Spirit—which doesn’t seem to happen much in blue light.

Sermons come about through the soul of the preacher. As God gets his word into us and takes us into deeper love of his sheep, we come to see what he has for a certain moment from a certain text. Sermon prep is the life of abiding, with eyes open to God and his world. It’s constant perception of the human heart, the mess of life, the depths of the gospel, and how the three intersect.

I want my preachers slaving over the text—assessing the literary context, exegeting the language, reading commentaries. But more than that, I want them to be with God. I want them to come out of the secret place with a message about where they’ve been, and where the Spirit is inviting me to go as well.